Alexander Gustafsson selected as EA Sports UFC co-cover fighter

Swedish fighter Alexander "The Mauler" Gustafsson won EA Sports' cover athlete fan vote for EA Sports UFC. As a result, the number one UFC light heavyweight contender will stand next to current reigning light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones on the cover of the game, who is also shown in two new screens for the game issued by EA this week.

Gustafsson beat Georges St-Pierre in the final round of the voting process, which accumulated over 11 million votes during the entire campaign, according to EA. The cover athlete vote began in early November with 16 fighters, which included heavy favorites like Ronda Rousey and Johny Hendricks. EA Sports UFC will launch in spring 2014 on Xbox One and PS4.

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EA ANNOUNCES ALEXANDER GUSTAFSSON AS FAN-SELECTED FIGHTER TO JOIN JON JONES ON THE COVER OF EA SPORTS UFC

Fans Cast 11 Million Votes in First Ever EA SPORTS UFC Cover Vote Presented by MetroPCS

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., - December 13, 2013 - Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC®) announced today that Sweden's Alexander 'The Mauler' Gustafsson, the no.1 UFC light heavyweight contender, is the winner of the EA SPORTS™ UFC Cover Vote presented by MetroPCS. Gustafsson will share the first ever EA SPORTS UFC cover with current Light Heavyweight Champion, Jon 'Bones' Jones, who EA announced last month as the first cover athlete. The two also met in the Octagon® earlier this year, in what is shaping up to be Fight of the Year for 2013 and one of the most riveting fights in UFC history. Fans cast over 11 million votes throughout the cover vote program. Gustafsson edged out legendary welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre in the final round, emerging victorious from a field of 16 fighters that also included champions Anthony Pettis, Ronda Rousey, Jose Aldo, Chris Weidman and Demetrious Johnson. EA SPORTS UFC will be available for the PlayStation® 4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, in the spring of 2014.

"It's a thrill and an honor to appear on the cover of the first ever EA SPORTS UFC game," said Gustafsson. "I want to thank all my fans who tirelessly campaigned and voted for me. I am proud to have the support of not only my home country, Sweden, and Europe, but also from people all around the globe. This is a huge win that motivates me to become the best light heavy weight fighter in the world."

"This was a great way to engage fans and we are excited that they selected Alexander Gustafsson as the Cover Vote winner," said Dana White, UFC President. "Europe accounted for nearly 40% of the web traffic to the Cover Vote during the last week of voting. This overwhelming support from UFC fans in Europe is indicative of the sport's rapidly growing popularity around the world and especially in EMEA. I couldn't be more excited about the UFC game and the work that the team at EA SPORTS has done."

As part of the MetroPCS EA SPORTS UFC Cover Vote Sweepstakes, one lucky fan who voted will have the chance to be part of Gustafsson's entourage when he walks out at one of his next fights. Fans are encouraged to check out the MetroPCS Facebook and Twitter to get behind the scenes access to the winner's experience.

Powered by EA SPORTS IGNITE technology, EA SPORTS UFC brings the action, emotion and intensity inside the Octagon to life in ways that were never before possible. The next-generation of True Player Motion not only showcases the diverse, powerful and fluid attacks of elite mixed martial artists through Precision Movement, Dynamic Striking and Strategic Submission Battles, but also brings the combatants to life with Full Body Deformation and Real-Time Exertion. The simulation of Human Intelligence takes leaps forward with the strategic and adaptive MMAi system and is expressed through the most realistic characters ever created in a sports game.

EA SPORTS UFC is in development at EA Canada in Vancouver and will be available for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in spring 2014. The game is available for pre-order at http://www.origin.com. The game has not yet been rated the ESRB and PEGI; visit www.esrb.org and www.pegi.info for more information. Become a fan of EA SPORTS UFC on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/easportsufc and follow us on Twitter via http://www.twitter.com/easportsufc.

EA SPORTS is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, fan programs and cross-platform digital experiences. EA SPORTS creates connected experiences that ignite the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports videogames, including Madden NFL football, EA SPORTS FIFA, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football, PGA TOUR® golf, SSX™ and EA SPORTS UFC. For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com.


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About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can't-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world's premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto, Beijing and Sao Paulo and Singapore. UFC produces more than 35 live events annually. The UFC is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world with events distributed residentially through North American cable and satellite providers including iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer's Choice. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group for live events and thousands of hours of programming including the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, on FOX Sports 1.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries, to 882 million TV households worldwide, in 28 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with nearly 2.5 million followers on Twitter. UFC businesses also include over 90 UFC GYM® locations in 28 US states, UFC FIT™, an in-home fitness and nutrition program, UFC 360, the internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, a new videogame franchise in development with EA, best-selling DVDs, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, branded apparel and Topps Trading Cards.


About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets. EA has more than 300 million registered players in over 200 countries.

In fiscal year 2013, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.8 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster brands such as The Sims™, Madden NFL, EA SPORTS™ FIFA, Need for Speed™, Battlefield™ and Mass Effect™. More information about EA is available at www.ea.com/news.

EA SPORTS, The Sims, SSX, Need for Speed, Mass Effect and Battlefield are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. and its subsidiaries. Ultimate Fighting Championship®, UFC®, The Octagon™ and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks, trademarks, trade dress or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC and affiliated entities in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC or other respective owners. John Madden, NFL, NCAA, NHL, NBA, PGA TOUR and FIFA are the property of their respective owners and used with permission. "PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.